Cheryl Meadows

[cool mentor]

The Cincinnati Human Relations Commission (CHRC) is sort of the local equivalent to United Nations peacekeepers. Their community mon itors, decked out in royal blue CHRC T-shirts, work to mediate arguments and diffuse racial tensions at public events and street festivals.

CHRC Street Advocates help locals with rough backgrounds (some are ex-cons) reform and find employment. Cheryl Meadows is CHRC’s executive director and is developing a debate program for local high school students that focuses on issues affecting Cincinnati.

Q: What’s the coolest thing about you? Meadows: Watching people turn their lives around and making a differ ence. As you get older, you don’t want to be stuck where you’ve been.

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You want to be open to change. That part about me being flexible (is cool). As long as I live I want to not be stuck and be open to new ways of doing things and how other people see things. The other thing that is cool about me is that I’m physically active and into nutrition. I try to keep my mind exercised and my body too.

Q: What’s the coolest part of the upcoming debates? Meadows: To hear from young people and how they see the world. Rarely, I think, do we have the opportunity to hear from young people. To have them do the debate and hear what they have to say about human relations issues.

Q: Who’s the coolest person you know? Meadows: I know so many cool people. I would have said my mother if she were still living, as she inspired me and those around me. The coolest people to me are people who give back to their community, people who lift as they climb. I see a lot of people do that. I can’t sin gle out one person who does that. I’d get in trouble!

PHOTO: JOE LAMB

The CINCINNATI HUMAN RELATION COMMISSION’s mock debate for area high school students is planned for